U.S.-Mexico WarEssay Assignment
The Question
Students will read Ernesto Chavez's introduction to The U.S. War with Mexico: A Brief History with Documents and look over the primary source documents that are included in the text. Using at least three of these primary source documents you will answer one of the following questions:
1) How did supporters of the U.S.-Mexico War justify the conflict? What kind of arguments did they make in order to say that the war was legitimate? What were their goals?
2) How did opponents of the U.S.-Mexico War argue that the war was illegitimate? Why did they think it was wrong to go war? What did they argue were the real reasons the U.S. sought to go to war with Mexico?
Please note that questions 1 & 2 are NOT asking for your opinion on whether the war was right or wrong but are asking you to use the primary source documents in order to understand what the supporters and opponents argued. This is information you can get by reading the Chavez introduction and the primary sources.
3) What were the consequences of the war for Mexicans residing in territory that became part of the United States? What happened to Mexicans' positions in U.S. society? What happened to the individual fortunes of some Mexican Americans?
Writing Instructions
The essay must be at least three to five full pages of text (no unnecessary spaces and excluding bibliography), double-spaced, and with a twelve point times new roman font. Remember to follow the rules for writing a formal essay and include the essential components for an essay, including citations. Students may use MLA format for their citations. Your paper should have an introduction, thesis, body, conclusion, and bibliography. Since writing style and grammar will be graded, I recommend you utilize my office hours and any campus resources. Remember, this paper is worth 100 points and is a considerable portion of your grade, utilize all the resources at your disposal, do not wait until the last minute to complete this assignment.
Do not consult online sources and avoid plagiarism by citing your information. If you have any questions concerning plagiarism consult the syllabus.
Late papers will face a ten-point penalty for each day the assignment is due.